Fire at New Zealand hostel leaves 10 people dead
Wellington (New Zealand), May 16: Massive fire at a four-storey hostel in Wellington killed at least 10 people, New Zealand Herald reported on Tuesday.
Search and rescue teams have begun sifting through the smoky debris of a Wellington hostel where up to ten people may have died in a midnight fire. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told the AM morning news show that six people had been confirmed dead, with numbers likely to increase.
At around 12:30 a.m., emergency services were called to the Loafers Lodge hostel after a fire broke out on the third floor of the four-story building.
Authorities confirmed this morning that there were no sprinklers in the building - and there are still 20 people missing, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Fifty-two individuals have been accounted for at Wellington's Loafers Lodge Hostel, but firemen are still looking for others, according to Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt. He stated that they received a call to the hostel at 12:30 a.m.
"Our thoughts at this time are with the families of those who have perished and with our crews who valiantly rescued those (they could) and attempted to rescue those that they couldn't," Pyatt said.
"This is our worst nightmare. It doesn't get worse than this," he added.
The cause of the fire remained unknown, according to police, who will be investigating with fire.
Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council was assisting about 50 people who had escaped the fire and were currently at an emergency centre set up at a nearby track with showers and other facilities.
He stated that it was assisting a number of elderly persons who had escaped wearing only their pyjamas.
"Many are clearly shaken and bewildered about what happened."
- ANI
